Around the world, Smashing Pumpkins fans are rejoicing to the Jan. 28 debut of Billy Corgan’s new project, Zwan. For those of you who were in a coma in the mid-nineties, Billy Corgan was the frontman of the Smashing Pumpkins.

Smashing Pumpkins were an awesome band in its own right, with countless radio hits, numerous albums under its belt, and a devoted following in tow.

Well, the Pumpkins are smashed. But Corgan is back with the band he “wanted since his Smashing Pumpkins hit the bigtime.” If you followed the Pumpkins in their lifetime, like me you were probably dismayed to watch helplessly as they decomposed from a respectable rock’n’roll band into a techno-crap sideshow with Ava Adore and all the nonsense.

It was all downhill since Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness, but enough of that.

Zwan does borrow heavily from the classic Smashing Pumpkins style we’ve come to know and love. Furthermore, it borrows from the older, better epoch of Pumpkins, when “Bullet with Butterfly Wings,” “Zero,” and “1979” were tearing up the charts.

This band is not a knock-off or sequel by any means, but it does take a refreshing visit to the descent side of vintage ’94 alternative rock.

“Honestly” is the only single on the radio as of yet, but, believe me it’s getting plenty of time on stations like KROQ. This song combines a militaristic snare-driven rhythm that is familiar to Pumpkins fans, and of course Billy Corgan’s unmistakable voice, with an element that is mellow yet still dark.

The single is extremely poppy, and undoubtedly designed for radioplay, but not a bad song nonetheless. This slow-but-dark tone appears all over the album, and I can only describe it as exactly what you’d expect to hear from an aging metal/alternative icon. The music retreats back to the style that made it famous, but with a great deal less edge on it than when it was new.

This is not a bad thing for everyone. Some folks like their rock watered down, but not me. This album does not grab my attention simply because of the slower tempo, but I cannot deny that this CD is lyrically and musically insightful.

Stylistically, this album is not entirely my cup of tea, but it did get the ‘ol head nodding hear and there. Pumpkins fans should listen with an open mind, and you will find elements of that good stuff you’ve been craving.

Others, have a listen, this is a creative and catchy album, and is definitely worth stealing off the Internet, uh…er..I mean purchasing at your nearest music retailer for 18 bucks.